What ever happened to monopoly laws?

[Birdbrain]

BB, I think your last sentence sums up the issue for LW and me, as well. And that is, that right now we do have the power to not buy their brand, but left unchecked we may lose that power because other brands are pushed out of the market. Not because of quality or appeal, but because they’ve been eaten up by the monopoly.

I think the phone company case illustrates that principle perfectly. One would no longer have a choice, if the monopoly were to be left unchecked. It would be either pay the man or don’t have phone service. Which means their price, their quality, their terms.

Don’t get me wrong, I, too, order from Amazon and love the expanse of choices. I also order online from several big box stores as a matter of convenience. I’m not real, very much worried about an Amazon monopoly, but I see the possibilities.

[Murphette]

Tolerating a monopoly like Ma Bell made sense when the technology was newer. I wouldn't want to depend on a thousand phone companies using incompatible equipment and systems, and good number of them going out of business to be replaced by a good number that also go out of business, and it all happening while I was trying to run a business or call a doctor. Not doing it that way got telephone service to places it wouldn't have made sense to invest in. Once a reliable infrastructure is in place, it stops making sense.

Avoiding Walmart costs me some time and sometimes some money, but I can do it. I can get out of my pjs and vote "not Amazon" for my other purchases (most of which I could live without, anyway) Now that I've entered my "I couldn't care less about current fashion" phase, shopping re-sale works real well for me.

What does concern me is collusion to eliminate competition, control prices, etc... What anti-trust laws were meant to prevent. Especially for essentials like fuel, food, communication, etc... (What's that phrase I heard? "Nothing good comes from men in business suits, under false names, meeting in hotel rooms during business hours"...something like that) The possibility of someday not being able to grow wheat without Monsanto worries me alot.

[shuggie]

Well intended anti monopoly law provided me with a minimal feeling of consumer comfort.
NEVER in my wildest dreams believe that the at LARGER to EST was NOT rigged from day one.

Those products which slipped thru the $ Key holes $ were well soaped and either found the "magnets" unschooled or unfocused or just deprived ( by 'friends')as to the immensity of the large mega fortune to be found in such as Class of '63s developing computer and their do-dads connected 'them damn' things.

All's I know was when Ben & Jerry's.... Celestial SEASONINGS, American SPIRITS wealth went before the wood which was Shirley to be added That was another zip plastic bag of my spirit destined for the That beautiful ocean waters.
Not a happy camper here.
The train has left the station with salt water on its' never stopping route.